The sweet smell of red roses..and life in the jungle

Having had the most ridiculous drive to Ecuador from Colombia (4 breakdowns in 2 days in 1 car!) we made it to Quito at about 2am.  We quickly started planning our time in the jungle and having split into two teams, we made our way into the Amazon jungle by bus, boat and on foot.  My team spent time amongst the Waorani and Shaur people who were both very welcoming, hospitable people. 

The nights with the Waorani people was slightly nerve racking as we were informed that their neighbouring tribe had only 7 months ago speared to death visitors staying in the same place as us…and if we were found then the ladies on our team would likely to be taken as slave wives for the men of the neighbouring tribe…I guess that is one way to acquire a husband but it probably wouldn’t be my first choice!! 

The Waorani tribe were also made ‘famous’ in the 1950s for killing a group of Christian missionary men who went to work with them.  Some of the mens wives were incredibly brave and honoured their husbands memories and God by living amongst the very people who had killed their husbands and saw amazing fruit from their work.

We spent time praying for the sick, teaching new Christians and learning of both indigenous group’s culture and traditions.  We got to drink spit soup, eat weird fruit, poo in the bush, get stuck in the mud and meet some incredible people!  We were very privileged to be given tribal names by the Waorani – mine was ‘germanco’ (my spelling!) which means fruit.  I learnt a lot from the whole experience even if I was very grateful for a toilet and shower on my return!  (If you want to see some action on film then check out ‘Iris South America Amazon Jungle Adventure’ on YouTube).

When we got back to Quito we had a busy few days.  Marco and Karina, our hosts are university lecturers so they invited some of us to help in their work.  This meant that I got to help lecture on ‘the Ethics of Jesus’ which was really interesting, although I did have to get it translated into Spanish.  Having been to university a few times it was great to be back in the classroom again!

We also had a very special day on Valentines Day.  Having made cards for all the guys on our team, we went to pray for the sick in the large public hospital as well as give food to people waiting for appointments as many of them travel for miles and have no money left to buy food.  In the evening, we went out into Quito’s red light district and gave out red roses to the sex workers, homeless and street vendors.  Most of the street vendors we saw were indigenous ladies wearing their traditional dress and one of them beamed and laughed when we gave her a rose and told her she was beautiful!  Such a great time.

We crossed the border into Peru on Friday and we’re chilling on the Pacific coast for a couple of days before heading to Lima.  It is so lovely to go to sleep with the sound of the crashing waves against the beach at night especially when we’ve been on the go for a while.  I am definitely missing the routine of home but also love being here.  God bless lovely friends.

COLOMBIA: cows, cakes and Cali

From Bogota we travelled to a farm just outside the city of Armenia.  As it was a working farm I got to milk a cow and drink lots of fresh milk which was a welcome change from UHT milk!  One evening we went into the city of Armenia and brought lots of fresh bread and spent time talking to and sharing with some of the city’s homeless folk.  This was done in partnership with a local church who are planning to continue the work on an ongoing basis.

From Armenia we travelled south west to the city of Cali, the home of salsa.  We stayed in a retreat house which had over 100 beds (so we each got a whole bunk bed to ourselves!) and hurrah I got to swim in the pool every morning too.  The team has had lots of opportunities to bless the inhabitants of Cali (see below for a couple of examples) and be blessed in return.  The church we have been working with called Rey de Reys (King of Kings) have been incredibly generous and have hosted us for free including all our food.

At the base I have been busy helping wash the pots for the team and looking after Zoe, our team leader’s two year old to give her parents a couple of days away.  I was also part of the team who spoke at the Sunday church service which was great. 

One of my most privileged moments was meeting Ruth Rubal whose husband, Julio was killed and martyred in 1995 as a direct result of their work in helping seeing Cali’s drug lords overturned and Cali’s drug use decrease.  I remember watching a film called ‘Transformations’ about 10 years ago regarding communities which had been impacted by churches working together and seeing God move in power – Julio and Ruth’s church were featured in this and so it was fantastic to be able to meet Ruth in person and hear from her experience and wisdom.

Last Friday, us ladies had the privilege of visiting South America’s largest and one of its newest prisons.  It took us about three hours to go through all the security checks but it was well worth it when we got to meet the ladies inside and speak and pray with them.  Each lady had their own story and many had children who were being cared for by relatives. 

That same evening we went out late at night armed with drinks, cakes and desserts for the sex workers on the streets of Cali.  Many of them would only accept food that was packaged as there had been an incident whereby they had been offered food which was poisoned in an effort to ‘clean up the streets’.  Thankfully it was great to be part of a hugely positive alternative offering the hand of friendship, generosity and prayer. 

To thank us for all our work in Cali, we were thrown a salsa party on Saturday night complete with a BBQ.  Whilst I was slightly disappointed not to be able to boogie to any 80s classics, I did try to salsa although not very successfully!!  The last couple of days we have been working on cleaning and maintenance of the vehicles before we head to Ecuador and jungle territory!

Thank you for reading!  Love and miss you all lots x

Happy New Year from Colombia!

Happy New Year from Bogota, Colombia!

We managed to all get flights to Cartagena, Colombia before Christmas and our vehicles got shipped shortly after which was fantastic.  There was a real sense of excitement and anticipation amongst the team as we arrived in Colombia, our first country in South America.  We stayed in Cartagena for Christmas which was a great Christmas present from God!  Cartagena is a walled city which is a World Heritage Site and we had some time off to enjoy the sights and the sun.  The team also did various work – mine was cleaning a school ready for the Christmas production!

Christmas Day was slightly strange (partly because it was so hot!) but New Years Eve was even weirder!  We spent two very very long days travelling from Cartagena to Bogota and managed to find a ‘camping spot’ (really the grass area of a restaurant!) at about 8pm on New Years Eve.  It had the most impressive view of Bogota city but was absolutely freezing and quite a few of us girls shed a few tears due to being so cold…the glass of wine did help though (Bogota is at 2,650 metres above sea level)!

On New Years Day we moved just down the mountain and are spending a few nights sleeping on a bar floor whilst we work with a local church (we’ve also bought some warmer clothes so no more tears!)  As a team we’ve climbed the mountain Montserrat and prayed for Bogota at the chapel on top of the mountain and visited a mens drug and alcohol rehab.  My favourite day was when the ladies on the team went to the red light district and spent time with the sex workers, both male and female and prayed with them and just loved them. 

We also got to visit a teenagers rehab and myself and Natalie who were leading the work for these few days got to speak and encourage the teenagers.  We were so excited to see young people get healed and delivered as well as a lady from the church reported that her lumps from breast cancer completely disappeared when we prayed for her – God rocks!  Its also great to see our team continue to grow in size and in giftings – we really are one big family!  Thanks for your prayers and support – I couldn’t be here without you.

Canal Land: Panama

I have loved being in Panama and we have been incredibly blessed to stay in two places (church floor and then a centre with beds – hurrah!) on the edge of the canal close to Panama City.  Our first week was pretty busy and quite intense at times.  One evening we went to pray at the local cancer hospital and myself and Roberta and Rose on my team walked into a room where sadly a young man’s father had literally just died (his body was still uncovered) so we simply sat with Paulo, the young man and hugged and prayed for him and his family.  Paulo seemed very touched by this divine appointment as were we.

We visited the worst ‘block’ in the city and it felt like a prison to me and certainly a lot worse than anywhere I’ve visited in the UK.  We played with the children and prayed for people.  One lady had not been able to walk unaided for a year due to having TB (confirmed by her family) and moved round in a wheelchair.  After praying for her, a miracle happened and she was able to stand up and walk!!  When we offered her the wheelchair to rest in after she had walked round the building, she refused and just kept walking!  This young mother will be able to now take care of her children more easily and the community was in a good shock when we left!  Praise God!

One of my highlights was visiting an indigenous community on an island only reachable by boat, close to the church in Gamboa where we were staying and working with.  We prayed for lots of people and I was able to teach from the story of Elisha and the widow from the Old Testament (with an interpreter!)  We also spent time at a childrens home, some of whom are HIV positive.  The home which is run by nuns felt very safe and caring and has the reputation for being the best in Panama so it was great to see good practice at work! 

I spent some time babysitting Zoe, our team leaders two year old who is adorable and so bright.  This helped release her parents, Jesse and Tanya to spend time at the port of Colon working out how to ship our vehicles to Colombia.  We are incredibly grateful to the anonymous donor who gave us $12,000 to pay for the shipment as none of us have that kind of money! Today the paperwork has been finalised for our vehicles to be shipped to Colombia to arrive in time for Christmas and we are in the process of booking flights.    

Panama is famous for its canal and I have loved learning about the history (paid a visit to the Discovery Centre) and Panamanians are obviously very proud of the canal and are in the process of building a third part for it to take bigger ships.    I feel so privileged to have worked with such a great team from Youth with a Mission as well as vibrant local churches during this time.  It has been a great end to our time in Central America.

It will be strange not being in England for Christmas and not being able to see friends and family.  I have already had many moments of missing the build up to Christmas but very glad for the invention of skype!  God bless you all this Christmas and may you experience God’s peace and love as you celebrate the birth of Jesus with friends and family Lizxx.

The land of sunshine and sea: Costa Rica

Costa Rica is a beautiful country and I can see why over 1.5 million  people visit every year (although I did also witness the occasional tacky Christmas decorations and lights!!).  Much of our few days in Costa Rica was spent resting and taking some time out on the coast.  We got to park up on the beach and stay for free (us girls even dug our own latrine!) although three of my friends had quite a lot of their belongings stolen right from under our noses so we got to know the local police well.  My favourite night was sleeping under the stars on the sand with some of my favourite team mates…simply stunning!

We did some random acts of kindness – mine was giving a chocolate bar with a note saying how special she was to God to a waitress called Alexandra who looked so down and harassed by customers.  I loved seeing the complete transformation in her face when she gave me a huge smile!  (She in turn then let me sit at the restaurant table for ages using the free wifi without eating anything!)

The most memorable day for me was returning to Playa Avellanas where I had been a month earlier remembering Dianne’s daughter in law, Rhiannon who drowned at sea.  I never thought that I would return but when I realised how close by we were staying, I felt that it was right to return and pray for the family.  It was also really helpful for me to go back and it allowed my friends and fellow team members to share in some of my experiences.

Before we went to the beach a number of us felt that God wanted us to meet and pray for Johan, the local teenager who had saved Dianne’s grandson Julian.  So when we got to the beach I looked round and could not see him so I went for a walk and felt God say ‘I’ll bring Johan to you’.  My response to that was ‘how are you going to do that?’  (oh me of little faith!)  I carried on walking and praying and then when I got back to our spot I went and spoke to a couple of local teenagers who knew Johan and said he might be security on the car park.  Johan was not working that day but Dennis was and when I explained to Dennis why we were at the beach, he said ‘give me 15 minutes’. 

About 15 minutes later Johan appeared on the beach! (having been contacted by Dennis)– I gave him a big hug before realising that of course he did not have a clue who I was until I explained myself…thankfully he did not think I was a complete nutcase and seemed very touched that we had wanted to meet and pray for him!  Johan said that he had not slept well in the first few weeks since the incident so we prayed that he would have peaceful sleep from now on and brought him a drink.  We also listened to him recount his experience and we realised that he is an even bigger hero than I thought as he actually saw Rhiannon and Julian in trouble from the restaurant on the beach and went in after them.  Johan also shared that he lost his own mother when he was about the same age as Julian.  Truly a remarkable story in every way and a very remarkable young man. 

Next stop: Panama, our last country in Central America.

Nicaragua: times of change

Our few days in Nicaragua has seen our team say goodbye to three people and welcome four more.  Its been a sad time as well as exciting as we function like a family and share so much that it is hard when people leave.  Some of our vehicles are having problems again and so the guys are looking into maybe part exchanging…I tend to stay out of these discussions as I know very little about cars preferring to do the washing up instead!

I’ve spent some of my time at La Quinta, a childrens home run by a Christian charity in Diriamba, not far from Managua the capital.  Many of the children have experienced significant abuse in their lives and some of their stories have reminded me of families I worked with in Salford.  Its great to see the children now safe and being well cared for and some of the older girls are now helping with the running of the home.   We’ve also visited families in the bairro close to the childrens home and I witnessed some of the poorest housing I have seen on the journey so far.

On my day off I had a fantastic day as a small group of us went to visit the city Leon which is home to Central America’s largest cathedral.  The cathedral was beautiful and had some very large striking pictures of Jesus with his disciples and on the way to the cross.  The six of us were also very excited to find a nice restaurant that served fabulous steak and cheesecake – I had not eaten a meal like that in months so it was a massive treat! 

The contrasts on this journey is one of the things I love the most…we can be eating street market food one day sitting on the pavement and the next day eating at a restaurant on a proper chair…we can be sleeping in a tent in a petrol station field one night and the next night sleeping in a hotel with a toilet and shower as we can’t find anywhere else!  I really sense that God is teaching me to learn to be content in all circumstances and help prepare me for the future, whatever that will look like.  Thank you for making it possible for me to be here.

Overcoming my fear of horse riding (or donkeys/mules)!

Honduras was an interesting  stop on our journey.  Our base was camping in the grounds of a nice hotel which meant that my tent got some action (it was weird sleeping by myself!) and I got to have early morning swims – hurrah!  Not so nice was the amount of accosting us ladies got by the local men.

The team split into various groups during our time.  One group travelled back to Guatemala to pick up one of our vehicles from the mechanic, one group stayed at the base and worked in the local prison (run by prisoners themselves) and then my group went to the mountains.

Following a two day journey including a car and bus ride (and our car getting stuck in the mud and having to be towed) we arrived at the base of the mountains and trekked to the village of Agua Caliente.  Mules took our luggage whilst we walked, mainly in the dark.  The following day we were able to visit local families to share our Christian faith alongside a local believer.  The church had not met since August but after talking and praying with people we were excited to realise that through our witness new Christians had been added to the number and the church would now be restarted.  We also saw people receive healing after prayer.

One of the most memorable parts of the journey for me was slipping in the mud (even though I was the only person wearing walking boots!) and then my knee pretty much went when I tried to bend down later to speak to a child.  So this meant that I was unable to walk on my right leg.  Given that it was a three hour trek back down the mountain, the decision was taken by the rest of my team that I should be blessed with one of the mules the whole way down!  Whilst I was very grateful, my team were unaware that I do not appreciate horse/donkey/mule riding, particularly without all the usual equipment and coming down steep slopes! 

Much to the amusement of the local guide (!) my reaction went between ‘I’m really not enjoying this’ to having tears in my eyes to repeating Bible verses like ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me’!!  By the end of the ride I had reached a calm state and was very grateful that I had not needed to walk.  In hindsight I love the fact that God used the journey to help me overcome my fear of certain four legged creatures, especially as this was not in my original plan!